Those who wish to make a career in architecture can now apply for the National Aptitude Test in Architecture (NATA) conducted by the Council of Architecture, New Delhi The application for the first round of test that has been scheduled on 12 June could be submitted until 23 May.
This year, the online aptitude test would be held in three phases.
The Council of Architecture (www.coa.gov.in) is a central institute that manages and governs the architecture training and profession in India. The council conducts the NATA to determine the aptitude of the applicants for admission to the five-year Bachelor of Architecture programme. (website: www.nata.in, help desk: 08045549467, Email: nata.helpdesk2022@gmail.com).
3 exams
Candidates can register for two or three tests as they wish. If the applicant writes one test, then the marks scored in it would be final. If he/she takes two tests, then the best of the two scores would be final. Meanwhile, the average of the best two scores would be taken as final if the candidate writes three tests.
Duration and marks
The test that is 180 minutes long would be held at 10 am and 2.30 pm on the scheduled days. There would be 125 questions. The questions carry 1, 2 or 3 marks depending upon their level of difficulty. The total mark is 200.
Question format
The five formats of questions are: Multiple Choice (MCQ), Multiple Select (MSQ), Preferential Choice (PCQ), Numerical Answer (NAQ) and Match the Following (MFQ). The candidate will be assessed for their reasoning, logical and analytical capabilities too.
There wouldn’t be drawing test this year too.
Even though most of the questions would be in English, some questions would be printed in local languages too.
Topics
There will be questions from Mathematics including geometry, physics, language and verbal logic, basic theories in design, aesthetics, colour theories, modern ideas, visual quality, pictorial representations, structure of buildings, basics of architecture, building materials and architectural terms.
Candidates should expect General Knowledge questions too.
How to prepare
The applicants may practise by solving the questions papers of previous tests. Besides, guides and websites that conduct mock tests are available. Even though the NATA brochure says that the test doesn’t assess the candidate’s previous knowledge but his/her natural aptitude, practising using previous question papers could be helpful in gaining experience.
It is not necessary that you score good marks just because you have a flair for drawing. The designs or drawings should be prepared as per the NATA’s specifications.
Application and fees
The application process for NATA is explained in pages 6-9 and 17–19 of the brochure. The application fee for a test is Rs 2,000 and Rs 4,000 for two tests. The fee is Rs 5,400 if you apply for all three tests.
The application fee for scheduled categories, persons with disabilities, women candidates and transgender persons are Rs 1,500/3,000/4,050 respectively. Meanwhile, those who wish to take the test at an overseas centre should pay Rs 10,000/20,000/27,000.
Exam centres
Candidates could choose the preference of exam centres in the application form. There would be additional processing charges and GST.
There are 158 exam centres in various Indian cities including Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Kozhikode and Kannur. Besides, there are overseas centres in Dubai, Manama, Doha, Kuwait, Muscat and Riyad.
Eligibility
As per the details given on the NATA brochure, the applicants should have scored at least 50% marks in Plus-Two with Maths, Physics and Chemistry as the core subjects. Even 50% marks for three-year diploma course with Maths too would be allowed.
As per the Kerala Entrance exam scheme, there is no minimum mark criterion for BArch admission. However, the applicants have to qualify the NATA–2022 before 31 July. There is no lateral entry for BArch.
Reasoning techniques
The aptitude of the candidate will be assessed using some or all of seven reasoning techniques such as:
Diagrammatic Reasoning: Tests the ability of reasoning using diagrams and scenarios.
Numerical Reasoning: Aims to access mathematical ability through simple problems.
Verbal Reasoning: Tests the ability to access verbal logic.
Inductive Reasoning: Tests the ability to see patterns and analyse given data.
Situational Judgement: Tests the candidate's problem-solving ability.
Logical Reasoning: Tests ability to recognize patterns, sequences or relationships between shapes and imagery
Abstract Reasoning: It will assess general knowledge and ability to utilize knowledge in new situations.